


Rocking Around the Christmas Tree

by ChokolatteJedi



Category: House M.D.
Genre: Advent Calendar, Advent Calendar Drabble, Advent Challenge 2011, Christmas, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Inspired by Music, Post - Infarction, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-20
Updated: 2011-12-20
Packaged: 2017-11-10 06:51:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/463431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChokolatteJedi/pseuds/ChokolatteJedi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Wilson visits House at Christmas</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rocking Around the Christmas Tree

**Author's Note:**

> Advent Calendar Day 20

Greg heard a knock at his door, but he didn't feel like getting caroled at, so he ignored it and returned to his medical journal. A minute later the knocking came again, more insistently. With a huff, he yelled out a gruff "go away!"

"No!" A familiar voice called back.

"Then use your key!" House called back. His leg was, if not comfortable, at least less achy than it had been all day, and he didn't intend to give that up.

"My hands are full!" Wilson called back. "Exercise is good for you!"

With a grumble, House got up, grabbed his hated crutches, and limped over to the door. Undoing the deadbolt, he threw open the door. At first he didn't see James, but then he finally identified his arms wrapping around the large pine tree.

"What is that?" House asked despite himself.

"A Christmas tree!" James replied cheerfully from behind the green mass. "Or, you know, holiday tree! Now let me in."

"No." House replied out of habit, but he still backed out of the way. He resettled on his couch as James puttered, pulling out an old tree stand that House had forgotten he even owned.

He also disappeared into his car and returned with another box that went into the kitchen. "Greg, where're your cookie sheets?" Wilson called.

"If I have any, you'd know better than me where they are!" House replied.

James harrumphed and continued to putter, and soon, behind his mask of indifference and his strategically placed medical journal, House began to smell delectable things cooking. James eventually emerged and began to set up the tree, pulling out boxes of decorations and ornaments that Stacey must have left behind.

Despite himself, House began to actually get into the spirit of things. He hobbled over to one of his bookshelves and pulled out his holiday albums. He had to carefully dust off the phonograph – he hadn't used it since the infarction – and put on the first record.

As Brenda Lee's voice filled the air, House decided to peek into the kitchen. Wilson caught him before he could and handed him an ornament. "What do you expect me to do with this?" House asked.

"Put it on the tree, of course." Wilson replied blithely. House frowned and looked down at his loathsome crutches. "Just stand by the tree and hang, no walking required," he reassured.

House harrumphed but did as he was instructed, feeling more and more in the holiday spirit. James went to check on the good smells in the kitchen, and then soon returned with a glass of eggnog and a piece of pumpkin pie.

"Pie?" House asked hopefully, forgetting again that he was supposed to be a miserable bastard this year.

"Courtesy of my mother," Wilson reassured him, "but you only get yours when the tree is done."

House finished his decorating in record time, and returned to the couch, where he discovered that Wilson had hung up boughs of holly and even a sprig of mistletoe over the kitchen doorway. As House propped his leg back up onto the pile of pillows, Wilson came back in, with a tray of food.

"Do you want pumpkin pie first or latkes?"

"Latkes!" House instantly decided.

"Well I'm glad you're feeling a bit better," James said, handing him the plate.

House instantly stiffened. He had, actually, forgotten about the pain and anger and disappointment for a few minutes. "Yes, well I won't be 'rocking around the Christmas tree' ever again, if that's what you mean." He spat. He wasn't supposed to forget – he was a cripple now, for the rest of his life.

Wilson frowned sadly. "You can be happy, you know. You can have some good times, especially at Christmas."

House considered this in silence for a few minutes while he ate his latkes. It had been nice, the last few minutes, to leave behind all the drama and anger of the hospital. And he was enjoying himself more than he had been a few hours ago. He considered it a little more as he sipped his eggnog. At last he decided. "Alright, only at Christmas then."

James sighed, but it wasn't as disappointed as before. "Good. Then I won't complain about you being grumpy the other 51 weeks of the year."

House clinked their eggnog glasses together. "Deal."

**Author's Note:**

> And the song: Rocking Around the Christmas Tree
> 
> Rocking around the Christmas Tree  
> at the Christmas party hop  
> Mistletoe hung where you can see  
> Ev'ry couple tries to stop
> 
> You will get a sentimental feeling  
> When you hear  
> Voices singing "Let's be jolly;  
> Deck the halls with boughs of holly"
> 
> Rocking around the Christmas Tree  
> Have a happy holiday  
> Everyone's dancing merrily  
> In a new old fashioned way
> 
> Rocking around the Christmas Tree  
> Let the Christmas Spirit ring  
> Later we'll have some pumpkin pie  
> and we'll do some caroling
> 
> You will get a sentimental feeling  
> When you hear  
> Voices singing "Let's be jolly;  
> Deck the halls with boughs of holly"
> 
> Rocking around the Christmas Tree  
> Have a happy holiday  
> Everyone's dancing merrily  
> In a new old fashioned way


End file.
